High up above the village of Hohenschwanau, the elegant silhouette of Neuschwanstein Castle rises gracefully from the mist of the Bavarian woods. A symbol of extravagant taste and refined sophistication. The dream palace of Ludwig II of Bavaria – the so-called ‘Mad King‘ who built it. Visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle was one of my favorite day trips from Salzburg.
Neuschwanstein is one of Germany’s most famous landmarks and visiting it is in every sense exciting. But it’s not only its slim towers and delicate embellishments that stirs curiosity. It is also the interesting history and the mystery that surrounds the short and controversial life of its monarch.
Was Ludwig II really insane? A paranoid man obsessed with grandeur and seclusion? Or just merely an eccentric and reckless spender? To get a better sense of Neuschwanstein Castle when visiting it, you’ll need to know a little about Ludwig.
Ludwig of Bavaria, a King Obsessed With Wagner
The son of King Maximilian II and Queen Marie of Prussia, Ludwig grew up in Hohenschwangau, a castle built by his father near the Schwansee (Swan Lake). Maximilian had made the swan the leitmotif of Hohenschwangau so, not surprising, Ludwig loved swans.
From an early age the prince had a vivid imagination and a tendency to detach himself from reality. Always a loner, he grew up immersing himself in the heroic tales of Lohengrin, a medieval knight of the Holy Grail who rescues a princess with the aid of a swan.
At the age of thirteen, after first hearing Richard Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin,” Ludwig became a passionate admirer of Wagner’s music. But it wasn’t too long before his passion turned into an obsession. He started impersonating Wagner’s operatic characters, dressing up like them, dining with his imaginary friends, then going out for midnight carriage rides in the woods.
Ludwig was trying all along to create a fantasy world of his own. He always identified himself with the legendary Parsifal – the medieval knight who embarked on the sacred quest for the Holy Grail.
In 1864, the unexpected death of his father brought the eighteen year old Ludwig to the Bavarian throne. But the handsome and inexperienced boy wasn’t ready to rule. He cared nothing for the matters of the government that were so different from his personal interests: music, art and architecture.
But Wagner wasn’t Ludwig’s only obsession. He was also fascinated with building extravagant castles. After visiting the Palace of Versailles, he returned to Bavaria determined to erect even greater edifices in his own country. Ludwig’s most grandiose project was the flamboyant castle of Neuschwanstein. He built the palace just above the village of Hohenschwangau, near his childhood home.
The History of Neuschwanstein Castle
The construction of Neuschwanstein Castle began in 1869. Neuwchwanstein was inspired by Wagner’s operas, which themes are featured in almost every room of the palace. Even the name – Neuschwanstein (meaning “New Swan Stone”) – is significant. It’s derived from one of Wagner’s characters – the Swan Knight.
Neuschwanstein Castle never had a functional purpose. Ludwig’s goal was to build a replica of an old German medieval castle, that would be a shrine to Wagner and a grand location for the composer’s operas performance.
During the construction, the anxious king lived next door, at Hohenschwangau Castle, so that he could supervise the process. From the second floor at Hohenschwangau he could peer across the valley and followed the progress through a spyglass. But the vast and opulent Neuschwanstein took much longer to build than the king expected.
In 1884 Ludwig moved to Neuschwanstein while it was still unfinished, but stayed only 6 months in his dream castle before he was found dead, drowned in a nearby lake. Only 15 of the 200 rooms planned had been completed before Ludwig’s mysterious death. Ironically, Wagner for whom this castle was planned, died without ever setting foot in Neuschwanstein.
Visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle
Visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle is quite an experience. You’ll never see another castle quite like it! The castle’s architecture follows a Medieval style.
The interior is very eccentric, overly ornate, and quite colorful. Everywhere you look, there are paintings depicting scenes from Wagner’s operas, Biblical narratives and Bavarian legends.
Practical Information for Visiting the Castle
• How to Buy Tickets for Your Visit
Unfortunately, you can’t visit Neuschwanstein Castle on your own. If you want to enter the grounds, you have to book a guided tour. You can purchase tickets in advance online, or at the ticket office on the day of your visit. If you want more flexibility, you should buy them in person.
When you book your tickets online you’ll have to choose a time for your visit. Be sure to arrive a little before the appointed time, not to miss your tour. Also, be aware that you can’t print the tickets you buy online. You will have to go to the ticket office to pick them up in person. However, the line for the tickets purchased in advance is much shorter.
• How Long is the Castle Tour?
Most people visit the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles together, given their proximity. Visiting both castle (plus the time between the tours) takes about 5 hours. The visit at the Neuschwanstein is actually quite short (only about 30-40 minutes) and not very informative.
Like on any guided tour, you are constantly moving at a pace that makes you feel rushed. You can’t lag behind and you are not allowed to take any photographs in the castle. Stealing a couple of shots is really difficult, as you are under constant supervision.
• Is Visiting Neuschwanstein Really Worth It?
After what I mentioned above, you may be thinking that touring Neuschwanstein may not justify your efforts. And I agree that it takes a bit of an effort to put this visit together. Especially if you come here from Münich.
But despite the long distance from the city and the many inconveniences of this tour, Neuschwanstein remains one of the most impressive and sophisticated castles you will ever see.
If you like castles, don’t just stop in Hohenschwangau. Most people see Neuschwanstein as THE quintessential castle to see in Germany and forget that Bavaria has so many other castles and gorgeous cities to offer besides this. A day trip to Bamberg for instance would reveal many other treasures along the way.
• How to Get to Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is located in Fussen, a small town just north of the Austrian border. The castle can be reached from Munich, either via train, rental car, or big-bus tour company.
However, depending on how much time you have in the region, I really recommend staying in one of the smaller towns near the castles. This will help you avoid the crowds and even choosing the right time of the day for the best pictures. The small village of Hohenschwangau would make a convenient base for visiting Neuschwanstein Castle and its sister, Hohenschwangau Castle.
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What a fantastic guide! This castle looks so magical. What do you think – is this place also worth visiting in winter?
best regards,
Martina
I’m sure it is, but I didn’t visit it in winter.
An interesting read, it’s an amazing castle. My wife and I visited Neuschwanstein and stayed in the nearby ‘village’. I wouldn’t recommend it as it only exists really to serve the day trippers who visit; consequently it’s a ghost town at night. There’s a lovely walk around the nearby lake.
Thanks for reading my post, John. The area about Neuschwanstein is beautiful indeed.
Great article Anda, thanks for sharing this 🙂
I’m always really fascinated to read about people’s experiences with anything related to Austria as its a country close to my heart.
Neuschwanstein is a definite Bucket List item for us! We love the opulence and the idea of building your very own fairy tale castle! Your photos are beautiful, and make us even more eager to visit. Thanks for sharing all of the detail, too. We’re pinning this for later, but hopefully not too much later! 😉
Good Job getting the inside photos after you said they weren’t allowed and they don’t look rushed at all. Lol I want to visit off the background story of the mad king alone. Not sure if I’ll ever make it here but you made it look like a cool place to be.
Neuschwanstein castle has been on my bucket list for some time now. It looks so pretty, standing on a hill shrouded in mist. Some great tips here on how to visit, thank you! I’ll pin this for later!
I love the look of Ludwig’s study, jusy the place for a bit of contemplation. I have yet to see any of Germany’s romantic castles, I’m hoping 2018 will be the year so thanks for this information!
beautiful pictures, Anda, as always. we stayed in Ettal which made a visit a bit easier and we enjoyed boating on the nearby Alpsee lake which affords a gorgeous views onto both castles
Lucky you. We wanted to see the lake as well, but it started snowing.
I was there laset year with my kids but unfortunately it was impossible to visit the inside because it was fully booked for the day. So I would advice to buy the tickets in advance. Thanks for sharing, because now at least I have seen some beautiful pics.
During the summer you can always have this bad surprise, Wendy. We were there in late fall and it was not so crowded.
We visited the castle last fall, and the opulence, setting, and history of Neuschwanstein make it a must see. Your photos captured it well. It’s ironic that he only inhabited the castle for six months.
I had no idea that you could only enter the castle as part of a guided tour! I’m glad I didn’t make the mistake of trying to visit it without one. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen pictures of the interior. It looks just as grand as outside!! Would love to visit and take the tour because it just seems magical!
Still have to cross this off my list, but I will someday 🙂 It looks so beautiful!
Ironically we were just near Bavaria a few weeks ago. Staying at Nonnenhorn on Lake Constance, about one and a half hours from the castle we set out one morning to visit it. We decided to take the scenic route through the mountains which took much longer than we expected so we never got there. I had read a lot of negative reviews on Trip Advisor about the crowds, long queues and rushed tours so I wasn’t too disappointed.
I agree, Lyn. The guided tour is not great at all, but it’s the only way to see the interior of the castle. I wanted very much to see Neuschwanstein and after two failed attempts, the third time we managed. The lines were not so long because it was mid October. However, in October the weather wasn’t too good, as you can see from my pictures.
So jealous that you have interior pictures of Neuschwanstein because it’s not allowed. Did you sneak the photos or did you get a special permission?
Hahaha, I am ashamed to say but I sneaked them, of course. You know there is not much room to negotiate with the Germans. Once they say “no” is NO!
The timing for this post couldn’t be more perfect – I have a day planned to go to Neuschwanstein in September. Definitely bookmarking this! I enjoyed reading the background and history of Ludwig and the castle. I had no idea that he was so eccentric but I guess I should’ve guessed with the Mad King Ludwig title. 🙂
Have a wonderful visit, Jill. I’m looking forward to hear about your experience at Neuschwanstein.
Many people seem interested in learning more about Ludwig II. You never mentioned the issue of his sexuality which was no secret by the 1870s. It certainly played a part in his forced abdication and may have been connected to his untimely death. Thank you for sharing your experiences, lovely photos and truly useful information about visiting Neuschwanstein.
Neuschwanstein is definitely a fairy tale castle and the interior is gorgeous. It is no wonder that so many people visit it every year. I did not know all the history and background behind Ludwig II.
I haven’t been yet, but it has been on my radar. It just looks so beautiful. I like your suggestion about staying in a town close to the castle.
It is a such a stunning castle and beautiful surroundings. We enjoyed our visit, but felt the tour a bit rushed and not much to see in the castle since much of it was never finished. We preferred the tour of Hohenschwangau.
I agree, Jessica. I prefer Hohenschwangau Castle more.
Now that you live closer, you should go Anisa!
This castle has been on my list of places to eventually visit… because I knew its story. It’s a fairytale castle, with the setting around that no one really ever lived in it. Fascinating. Love your photos!
I am surprised to find no mention of the performance Grotto, the most visually striking element of the castle, complete with gold covered Swan Boat designed and built for an audience of one.
Yea, we missed the Grotto. Unfortunately, we visited both castles that day and time was really tight. While we were visiting Neuschwanstein, a snow storm started out of the blue (totally unexpected for September.) We were scheduled to be back in Munich that evening and we feared we may get stuck in the snow with no snow tires, so we had to cut our visit short. I’m planning to go back though, I heard the Grotto is really beautiful.
Thanks for sharing this story! The castle is stunning, and the history behind it is fascinating. King Ludwig sounded like quite an eccentric character. Do you know if anyone lived in it after he died?
Neuschwanstein was never inhabited, except for the few days when Ludwig lived in it before his passing.
One of my favorite castles in Europe! Glad to know some of the history behind it as well!
Good to hear that, Joe.
The castle is absolutely stunning and fairly tale-like, but what I love is learning the history behind it. Sad that he was only able to live in it for a short time. Thanks for sharing the story!
Wow its like a fairytale, the interior is breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you for the history lesson, learned lots i didn’t know before!
A very interesting story!
Everybody tells me it’s much better from outside than inside, but I still have to go there and find out myself 🙂
What a fascinating story! And a beautiful castle, he may have been a bit mad but he certainly had style;-)
Ha,ha,ha I thought so too, Lotte.
Thank you for bringing us the story of King Ludwig. I just absolutely love history lessons, I imagine his people didn’t appreciate any of his nutty explorations or incurring debt. Good for us though that we can reap the rewards and appreciate this fairy tale now. I wonder if he drowned in the lake nearby because of one of his crazy dreamscapes?
There is a lot of truth in that, Brenda. But for the extravagance of some rich people in the past, we wouldn’t have so many architectural marvels today.
Tks for sharing such an interesting story. I didn’t know anything about King Ludwig.
Your pictures are just stunning! Congrats!
This is so interesting , and what a breathtaking castle, like something from a fairy tale x
I love love love Neuschwanstein. I have been twice. Not only is the castle something out of a fairytale, but the surrounding mountains are stunning too. I love going on hikes in the area as you can always see the castle at some stage too.
But what a dream of a castle.. Great photos too.. too bad he only lived there for such a short time!
What a fascinating insight, I didn’t realise that Ludwig built up such huge debts building castles – at any rate the place is magnificent
Oh, that’s quite sad that the king only lived for such a short time in his dream castle. But what a dream of a castle it is! Your photos really show off more of its opulent magnificence than we’d seen before in the usual exterior photos. It would be something to tour in person…
Quite a charming castle, although it seems more like a fantasy than a real residence. The creation of a troubled mind…
I believe so too.
I lived in Germany for a few years and was fortunate to visit some of Ludwig’s castles. Neuschwanstein is definitely the most beautiful one. Ludwig’s story is really fascinating and perhaps gives more meaning to this castle that was never inhabited.
Yes, I remember when you lived there. Do you miss it?